Tea with the Queen

Are you prioritising your activities to generate more income? It seems crazy to Deanna Notice that some business owners don’t take their own sales calls – they leave it for someone else to do. As a business owner herself, Deanna knows that you have the most impact on the growth of your business when you stay close to income-generating tasks. Deanna is founder of Notice & Co., which builds mark...

Belinda Eden almost had a break down. She and her husband had just refinanced their home to help Belinda pursue her dream of running her brand-new hospitality business. And then the pandemic hit. She was doing all she could to support her family, and waiting for things to subside. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was horrible. Things did eventually open up, and almost overnight the light down the dark...

Our skin is a reflection of our internal stability and health, and for years Jemima Richards has guided people in the right direction to better skin. Her business is Soap, Skin & Candle, an online store of bath soaps, crystals, teas, candles and a wide range of other products for your skin and senses. She shares with Emma McQueen some of her tips on running an e-commerce business, and also som...

How is your relationship with money? If you never learned much about handling money in school or at home, you’re not alone. Denise Duffield Thomas is the money mentor who helps entrepreneurs release their fear of money and charge premium prices. She’s written several books, including “Lucky Bitch” and “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!”. Her latest is “Chill & Prosper – the new way to grow your business,...

Turia Pitt has been through the most extraordinary life-changing experience. In 2011, she was in the rugged Kimberley ranges of north-west WA competing in a 100km ultramarathon, when suddenly she was confronted with a bushfire. She had nowhere to go as the flames caught up with her. She suffered burns to 65 percent of her body. Turia spent six months in hospital, had 200 operations and two years i...

Jo Stanley has packed so much into her career, and she ain’t done yet! For 10 years, Jo was one half of the most-listened-to breakfast radio show in Melbourne, The Matt & Jo Show on Fox FM. She’s host of The House of Wellness, she’s authored children’s books, and recently she founded Broad Radio, a radio station for women, by women. Broad Radio – https://broadradio.com.au/   Emma McQueen – htt...

Get ready to be inspired! Kaley Chu made it her mission to have lunch with 100 perfect strangers in one year. She did it to put herself out there, build her confidence and in the process develop really strong and meaningful connections with all sorts of people. She wrote a book about it – it’s called ‘100 lunches with strangers: a simple way to step out of your comfort zone and transform your life...

There comes the time every owner of a growing business faces – when’s the right time to bring someone on to help. Technology has made it easier to hire virtual assistants (VAs) to help with the admin stuff, or online business managers (OBMs) to help with strategy. Katie Kirsopp is a certified OBM and business owner herself, and she knows very well the challenges of growing a thriving enterprise an...

We’re lucky in this country to have a rich culture of volunteerism. The leader of the pack is Megan Buntine who’s been volunteering for as long as she can remember. Megan’s spent 30 years working in not-for-profits, and today she advises on the governance of NFPs, through her own consulting services. As she explains to host Emma McQueen, good governance is also good for business. Megan J Buntine C...

Jodi Green is an ADHD coach and founder of ADHD iD. She helps families develop strategies and routines to manage the everyday things. And for those who are diagnosed later in life, she provides tips as well as weekly group coaching sessions. She and Emma discuss some of the challenges those facing ADHD have, and Jodi offers some sound advice for parents of kids with the condition. Jodi’s ADHD iD –...

Do you love social media, or do you find it a chore to constantly and consistently post content for better business engagement? Bec Stenner takes the pain out of all that. Bec is a social media strategist and founder of Creative Seed Co. She’s also Emma’s social media aficionado. They discuss what makes an effective social media post (answer: it depends), whether video is important (answer: it als...

If you’ve ventured back into the office, does it make you tired and stressed? Maybe it’s the team and culture which is keeping you edge. Tanya Heaney-Voogt, has had a long-held passion for creating safe and fun workplaces for around 20 years. She’s an expert in mentally healthy workplaces and author of ‘Transforming Norm: Leading the change to a mentally health workplace’. In this episode, she dis...

We all need to recharge our batteries from time to time. Holidays are wonderful of course, but have you thought of going on a retreat? In this episode, Emma chats with a woman who trains people on hosting retreats. Deb Fowler is a soulful retreat coach and owner of Summer House Retreat, a gorgeous getaway in Torquay, Victoria. Emma and Deb discuss what makes a good retreat and Deb shares her tips...

Most of us weren’t taught much about money when we were kids. Which is incredible if you think about it, because all we seem to do when we leave school is spend the rest of our lives chasing it, saving it or spending it. This episode Emma and chats with Fi Johnston, an accountant who loves helping others feel comfortable about money. Fi’s the owner and founder of Peach Business Management; she’s p...

Are you looking after yourself? A lot of mums are often just too busy taking care of everyone else that they neglect their own health. Stacey Lapira says now is the to start thinking of yourself. She founded Mummy Revival – a holistic program for women to be the best version of themselves. Her community of like-minded women has proven immensely popular as she leads them through a journey of nutrit...

If you want to get your business to the top of a Google search, then you need to focus on developing good SEO or Search Engine Optimisation. Kristen Lowrey is a SEO copywriter: she turns the words from your website into engaging and enticing content, something which Google highly prizes. She tells host Emma McQueen what makes good SEO, and she discusses her love of writing – not just for websites,...

When you finished high school, did it take a while to find your feet? Did you pursue a course at university, and then realise down the track it just wasn’t the right choice? It happens A LOT. And it happens even to those who’ve spent much more time and money on becoming a doctor. Often, they don’t know what they’re getting into until they’re in the middle of it all, and they feel miserable. The go...

How is your relationship with money? If you never learned much about handling money in school or at home, you’re not alone. Denise Duffield Thomas is the money mentor who helps entrepreneurs release their fear of money and charge premium prices. She’s written several books, including “Lucky Bitch” and “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!”. Her latest is “Chill & Prosper – the new way to grow your business,...

Michelle Smith is owner of Aussie Biz Chic, a business success story which blossomed from a side hustle. She offers a business subscription box for female entrepreneurs. Each month her tribe receives a whole lot of stuff to help them grow their own businesses. It’s not just any stuff, though. There’s stationary, vouchers for online courses, videos and masterclasses, and the latest business and per...

As a teenager, were you weighed down by anxiety or stress? Sure you were! Your self-esteem was probably low, and no doubt you were unsure of yourself and your place in the world. Mental health social worker and family therapist, Marie Vakakis has heard all that and more with the young people she helps get back on track. Founder of The Therapy Hub, Marie helps teenagers and young adults who want to...

Kelly Britter was forced to close her gym for 15 months during some of the toughest COVID lockdowns in the world in Melbourne. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Kelly took action to innovate. She launched a fully functional pop-up gym that could be taken anywhere on the back of a retro-fitted truck. As the industry starts to open up, Kelly’s a step ahead with this concept of an anywhere gym...

Sheree Rubinstein used to be a lawyer, but had this entrepreneurial itch she had to scratch. It led her to found One Roof, a co-working space. It wasn’t just any old space: based in Southbank, it was voted top 5 co-working space for women in the world. And, then COVID hit, which threw a complete spanner in the works. They quickly pivoted to digital membership and haven’t looked back. A...

Casey Mackinlay’s journey from bricklayer to CEO of an events company with 100+ staff is a tale of grit, determination and love for her son, Kingston. As a teenager, Casey was on the path to becoming a bricklayer when she fell pregnant. With no maternity leave available, and a partner who didn’t step up to the plate, she was soon a single mum on the way to building and selling and buil...

Born in Turkey, and raised in Melbourne, Ebru Sak’s early life was a struggle as she was dragged out of school by her father and forced into an arranged marriage at 16 years old. With courage she divorced and paved her own way into the hair and beauty industry. With almost three decades' experience as a business woman, she reflects on her business success and innovation, including research a...

Turia Pitt has been through the most extraordinary life-changing experience. In 2011, she was in the rugged Kimberley ranges of north-west WA competing in a 100km ultramarathon, when suddenly she was confronted with a bushfire. She had nowhere to go as the flames caught up with her. She suffered burns to 65 percent of her body. Turia spent six months in hospital, had 200 operations and two years i...